The Black Umbrella Is Hers
Zong Ying stood in place for three seconds, before turning around and hurrying up the steps.
This was her second visit to the hospital in twenty-four hours.
The first time had been early last morning. She had avoided going to Sheng Qiushi’s outpatient clinic and had a cranial MRI instead, though she had yet to pick up the report.
The second time would be now when someone needed blood and she happened to be the donor. They were clearly half-siblings[mfn]apparently it’s her half-brother in need[/mfn] but oddly enough they shared the same rare blood type.
She went into the lift and up to the seventh floor. The electronic wall clock in the corridor showed “02:19:37”, the red string of numbers flashing incessantly as if it were alive.
It was supposed to be an emergency, but her heart was already racing from fatigue, and it was hard for it to register any further anxiety.
Zong Ying took out her mobile phone and was about to call Sheng Qiushi when he walked from the opposite direction. She quickly hid her injured right hand in her trouser pocket. Without a word, he grabbed her and took her to the ward.
He was in intensive care, so she only stood outside for a moment before heading next door for the blood test.
She did not ask about the reason for the emergency, but Sheng Qiushi, who was standing by to help fill out the forms, took the initiative to explain.
“Zong Yu’s uncle had a car accident on their way home. While he was brought to the hospital in time, the uncle wasn’t as lucky. He died on the spot. Zong Yu’s mother has been notified and should be arriving soon.”
While he spoke, the intern nurse rolled the sleeves of Zong Ying’s light blue shirt all the way up to her upper arms. She fastened the tourniquet, before smearing a large swab of cool iodine and alcohol on the crook of her arm. She searched for a vein under the light, but her movements indicated she was hesitant. Just then, there came the sound of shuffling footsteps from the corridor outside.
Through the door, Zong Ying heard her aunt’s voice. Her voice was high, and her tone urgent. She was likely questioning the cause of the accident and airing her complaints. It only added to her frustration when she was denied entry by the nurse, she would not stop talking.
At such a late hour, one was bound to experience an emotional rollercoaster, and be more prone to extreme emotions.
Though her aunt was utterly worked up, Zong Ying was uncharacteristically composed.
The intern nurse was still unsure of what to do. Her forehead was covered in a thin sheen of sweat.
Zong Ying said, “I’ll do it myself.”
“Huh?” The intern nurse looked up, stunned.
However, Sheng Qiushi said, “Listen to her.” As he stuck the pen back into his white coat pocket, he continued, “She was very skilled when she worked at the hospital. You should learn from her. .” He then handed over the form. He had intended to go out to meet Zong Yu’s mother and Zong Ying’s great-aunt, but then he heard the outpour of resentment from her aunt.
“Why isn’t Zong Ying here yet? Their blood needs to be checked and prepared after it’s drawn since they’re close siblings. I’ve heard that the blood of direct relatives can’t be used immediately and needs to be irradiated, and that’ll take time. We don’t have a moment to spare! Call her to get her to hurry up!”
“This family member sure knows a lot. She even knows about the irradiation process., She seems experience experienced.” Another nurse commented wryly as she collected the forms.
Sheng Qiushi went to the door but didn’t step out.
Outside, Zong Yu’s mother said, “If Zong Ying was still working at the hospital, we wouldn’t have to wait like this!”
Suddenly, the aunt turned the blame to Zong Ying. “She didn’t want to be a doctor, and now we’re in this mess!? Qinglin only cares about managing the company, and doesn’t keep a good eye on her! She’s as weird as her mother. The only company she keeps is dead people, and she constantly reeks of a weird odor. With such bad fortune, she’ll never get married!”
Zong Ying looked down and found the vein. With a 16-gauge needle[mfn]The number on the needle represents the diameter (unit: mm) of the inner tube. In this case, the needle used is 16mm in size, the needle is large.[/mfn], she pierced the skin and entered the vein.
The transparent tubing began to take on color, and the blood bag gradually filled up until it jiggled.
She closed her eyes slightly. Without a chair to rest against, she had to lean against the wall for support.
Sheng Qiushi exited the room, closing the door at the same time. He greeted her great-aunt and mother, before taking them downstairs to the consultation room to wait to avoid disturbing other patients.
The corridor was quiet again.
The numbers on the blood collection monitor[mfn]Device to control discharge: The device reduces the impact on the amount of blood transfused, improves accuracy, measures the required blood level, and ensures it is always within the allowable threshold. Link another link(the machine that is rocking the blood bag)[/mfn] ticked upwards steadily The intern nurse took out a band-aid and applied it to the needle in her arm, when Zong Ying said, “Give me two more.”
It was then that the nurse noticed the wound on her right hand. She hurriedly extracted the needle and wrapped a bandage around it, handing her the remaining band-aids.
Zong Ying quickly pasted them on, pulled down her sleeve, and got up. Out of nowhere, she was hit by a wave of dizziness.
Alarmed, the nurse made to give her sugar water, but Zong Ying had already closed the door and left.
She entered the lift and went down to the first floor.
The white light in the lift was so glaring that Zong Ying had to close her eyes. Just then, the lift doors opened with a ding and she opened her eyes only to see Sheng Qiushi slipping in.
He reached out and pressed the button for the ground floor: “I have an emergency consultation to attend to, but I’ll be right back. Head to the clinic first and take a break.” With that, he pushed Zong Ying out the door.
Zong Ying walked to the nurses’ station where a nurse was busy making tea. She was an old acquaintance of Zong Ying’s, and as soon as she looked up, she blurted out, “Doctor Zong!”
“Nurse Liang.” Zong Ying answered. The nurse pushed two paper cups over. “This is the water your family asked for., I was just about to go on my rounds, so if you’re headed for the consultation room you can just bring them over.”
Bright light reflected off the surface of the water. There were tea leaves bobbing within. Zong Ying picked up the two cups and walked toward the consultation room.
Upon entering, the double row of lights was bright, and surgical, as if she was lying under a shadowless lamp. There was nowhere to hide.
Zong Yu’s mother sat impassively on the sofa. Her hands were folded over her face as if to hide her tumultuous emotions.
Her aunt looked up at her, and Zong Ying handed over a paper cup.
She gave her a once-over, frowning at the strange smell: “You’re on duty today?”
“Yes.”
“From the department?”
“No, the funeral home.” Zong Ying’s hand, with the paper cup, was still held up awkwardly,
The elder aunt’s expression shifted., She did not accept the cup.
Zong Ying placed the cup on the coffee table, before straightening up and walking over to the window, as far away from the sofa as possible.
“Look at how hard you are working now, and how little you are paid. It’s not really flattering for a young girl to have such an unpleasant odor either. People will not like it. It’s for your own good that I’m being so blunt with you.”
For your own good.
As the night wore on, the thunder rumbled outside. Zong Ying found that she could not catch a single breath of fresh air. The room was so suffocating that she felt as if she were stuck in a quagmire, with thick, strong vines tugging her down.
Her aunt pressed, “You haven’t been home for a while, have you? You have to go back sometime. It’s lonely living alone. The first thing you should do is go home and see your father. Are you still going back to work today?”
Zong Ying watched as her aunt kept licking her dry lips, eyes straying back to her paper cup.
The tea she had handed over remained untouched.
Lightning seemed to explode against the glass and Zong Ying turned to look downstairs.
A familiar figure emerged from the building. He was dressed in a white shirt and black trousers and was carrying a briefcase and an umbrella. Zong Ying recognized him. It was the unhurried gentleman from the taxi.
There was a boom of thunder, and rain began to fall. Wutong leaves swayed violently in the storm, and only then did the gentleman open his folded umbrella.
It was then that Zong Ying noticed the white Möbius ring on the black umbrella, with the number “9.14” painted on the bottom.
That was her umbrella.
☘☘☘
The author has something to say:
Mr. Not in a hurry: Hello everyone, I will be the most upright male protagonist in the public.
Zongsang: Upright but still steals other people’s umbrellas? The most upright status of the truth cannot be shaken, please behave yourself upstairs
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This new pit has actually been kept for two years
So I don’t know where I got the courage. I actually released the first chapter. Maybe I drank too much.
A few notes.
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- Blood transfusions between immediate family members are indeed not recommended, as they can easily lead to TA-GVHD, a complication of blood transfusion with a high mortality rate. If this is not possible, blood should be irradiated before it can be used. As well as when blood is not as fresh as possible.
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- The legal medical examiner who goes out to do the autopsy is usually the pathology department. In fact, forensic medicine is not only this part but also specialized forensic medicine in DNA and poisoning (the shortage of forensic medicine in small places may be part-time, depending on the local situation.
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- This article, due to some reasons, needs to be handled overhead by default. Characters have no insinuations or prototypes. No further explanation would be made.
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